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The Importance of Microchips

Every day, pets become lost for a variety of reasons. Wearing an ID tag improves their chances of being found, but the propensity for the tag and collar to become lost or removed poses a major problem.

At Dallas Highway Animal Hospital, we believe pet owners should do everything in their power to keep their pets safe. In terms of identification for your pet, there is nothing more effective than a microchip implant.

What Is a Microchip Implant?

Roughly the size of a grain of rice, a microchip implant is an integrated circuit that is injected directly under your pet's skin, usually behind the neck and between the shoulder blades. Encoded with identifying information, the microchip can be read by a scanner. Most veterinarians, shelters, and animal control officers have these special scanners, which they use to search for and retrieve identifying information on a lost pet.

Injecting a microchip under your pet's skin is a simple procedure. It takes only minutes and it is not painful, so anesthesia is not used. The chip contains no internal power source, remaining inert until activated by the scanner. This allows the chip to last throughout the life of your pet. One thing you should know is that microchip implants do not act as GPS devices, so there is no ability to search for the location of a lost pet.

For more information about implanting a microchip in your pet, contact us today. A member of our staff will be happy to answer any of your questions.